Scenic designer Derek McLane might not have an Oscar himself (yet), but he’s no stranger to the Academy Awards. For the sixth year in a row, the Tony- and Emmy-winning designer has been called upon by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to design the stage for Hollywood’s biggest celebration. This year’s ceremony is particularly notable—it’s the 90th anniversary—so McLane has created dozens of brand-new elements to delight the audience.

Rather than focusing on a historic design movement, like he did for last year’s Art Deco–themed stage, McLane went for a more abstract look this year. “It's more about reflectivity and light, than it is about a particular period,” he notes. And while there are certain designs that reflect the past, there’s also a sense of the future: “I think that what I've done feels pretty modern and forward-looking.” Here, we’re bringing you a first look at McLane’s 2018 Oscars stage.

Watch the 2018 Academy Awards on Sunday, March 4, at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

Image: Courtesy of Derek McLane for Oscars 2018

The proscenium, which is the arch surrounding the stage in front of the curtain, is a brand-new design this year—and perhaps McLane’s favorite element of the show. “It feels a little bit like a geode, or a kind of sculpture made out of crushed glass,” he says. When producers Mike De Luca and Jennifer Todd asked the designer to do the show again this year, the proscenium was the first design he conceived. The end result is this dazzling faceted piece decorated with a staggering 45 million Swarovski crystals. (For comparison, last year’s proscenium only had 27,120 crystals.) He then expanded upon the crystalline structure for the other pieces on the stage you see here, flattening them into more abstracted, two-dimensional forms that have a bit of an Art Deco flair to them.

Image: Courtesy of Derek McLane for Oscars 2018

For this set, McLane nods to Hollywood’s glamorous history. “These mirrored arches have a little bit of a Hollywood regency flavor, and the capitals have an almost Egyptian Deco flavor to them.” Crystal chandeliers hang from them in grand style, and the elements are repeated on the giant LED screen behind the stage. With digital projections, McLane notes, “you can kind of trick the eye into seeing something that you can't just build on the stage.” He worked on these digital elements with screens producer Raj Kapoor, who riffed on McLane’s sketches to create a cohesive look. “You wouldn't be able to do a set just virtually because the cameras are constantly moving. The TV audience can sense the three-dimensionality of objects,” observes McLane. “Hopefully, if we do our job well, you won't really be able to tell the difference between virtual and built!”

Image: Courtesy of Derek McLane for Oscars 2018

“This is inspired by the movie Amadeus,” McLane shares. “It doesn't look exactly like Amadeus, but that's where the idea started.” With a Versailles Hall of Mirrors–esque aesthetic, these six mirrored panels are able to spin across the stage. On the reverse side of the mirrors are LED screens that will show images of nominees.

Image: Courtesy of Derek McLane for Oscars 2018

“These rings of light are clearly much more modern,” says McLane. Protruding from the rings are spoke-like aluminum rods with incandescent light bulbs. Close-up shots of the rings will give the audience a chance to see the details of the bulbs, but in wide shots, they’ll look more like hovering points of light. “This is something I’ve played with a bunch of times before at the Oscars,” says McLane—as an Academy Awards veteran, the designer certainly knows what works on the stage. Like the mirrored panels, these rings are able to move into different configurations, creating a certain dynamism.

FOLLOW US

Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 5/25/18) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 5/25/18). Architectural Digest may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Your California Privacy Rights The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Ad Choices